The present invention relates to disk cartridges containing a signal recording disklike medium such as an optical disk, magnetic disk or optomagnetic disk, and to disk players for recording and/or reproducing signals with use of the disk cartridge.
Disk cartridges comprising a flat rectangular parallelepipedal cartridge body 90 wherein a disk 91 is encased are used for optical disk players which are adapted to optically record signals on optical disks or optomagnetic disks or similarly reproduce signals from such disks (JP, 05-198121, A) as shown in FIGS. 22, (a) and (b).
The cartridge body 90 is formed with a window 100 for exposing the signal bearing surface of the disk 91, and has a shutter 92 slidably mounted thereon for opening or closing the window 100. Disposed inside the cartridge body 90 is a lock member 93 along an end face 9a extending along the direction of sliding of the shutter 92 for locking the shutter 92 in its closed position. The lock member 93 is elastically shiftable about a base end thereof and has a forward end formed with an engaging recessed portion 95. The forward end of the lock member 93 further has a slope 99 which functions for unlocking as will be described later.
On the other hand, the portion of the shutter 92 slidable along the end face 9a of the cartridge body 90 is provided with a lug 96 engageable with the recessed portion 95 of the lock member 93. The shutter 92 also has a spring retainer 98, with a torsion spring 94 provided between the retainer 98 and the cartridge body 90 for biasing the shutter 92 in the closing direction. Usually with the disk cartridge 9, the recessed portion 95 of the lock member 93 and the lug 96 of the shutter 92 engage with each other to lock the shutter 92 in the closed position.
The disk cartridge 9 is inserted into an optical disk player toward an inner portion thereof from a cartridge inlet formed in its cabinet. With the advance of the cartridge 9 as indicated by an arrow A in FIG. 22, (a), an unlocking piece 97 provided in the inner portion of the device moves in a direction opposite to the arrow A relative to the cartridge and enters the cartridge body 90 to come into sliding contact with the lock member 93, elastically shifting the lock member 93. As a result, the recessed portion 95 of the lock member 93 is released from the lug 96 of the shutter 95 to unlock the shutter 92.
In the course of a further advance of the cartridge 9 toward a recording-reproduction position in an inward portion of the device, the unlocking piece 97 pushes the shutter 92 open against the elasticity of the torsion spring 94 as shown in the drawing, (b). Signals are recorded or reproduced in this state through window 100 of the cartridge body 90.
The unlocking piece 97 thereafter moves in the direction of arrow A relative to the cartridge 9 which is moved backward upon ejection, permitting the movement of the shutter 92 in the closing direction. The shutter 92 is therefore closed as shown in FIG. 22, (a) by being biased by the torsion spring 94. In the course of closing of the shutter 92, the unlocking piece 87 moves in sliding contact with the slope 99 of the lock member 93, elastically shifting the lock member 93 in an unlocking direction. Consequently in the closed position of the shutter 92 shown in FIG. 22, (a), the recessed portion 95 of the lock member 93 and the lug 96 of the shutter 92 are opposed to each other in an unengaged state.
When the cartridge 9 is drawn out from the cartridge inlet with a further backward movement, this movement releases the locking member 93 from the unlocking piece 97, with the result that the lock member 93 elastically restores itself, engaging the recessed portion of the lock member 93 with the lug 96 of the shutter 92 to lock the shutter 92 in its closed position.
With disk cartridges such as the one described above, the density with which signals are recorded on the disk becomes ever higher, and disk cartridges according to new standards will be developed one after another with this trend for use with signal recording systems which are different from the conventional system. When two kinds of disk cartridges of different standards are to be provided commercially, it is economically and functionally desirable that the cartridges be in common in external dimensions to permit the use of a common disk player for signal recording or reproduction. It is also likely that a disk player will be made commercially available for exclusive use with disk cartridges of each standard. The disk player thus adapted for exclusive use needs to be so designed as to prevent insertion of disk cartridges of different standard.
However, problems are encountered in modifying a disk cartridge of conventional standard for additional use as a disk cartridge according to a new standard, since the conventional disk cartridge thus modified can not be used on the conventional disk player for recording or playback. Problems are also encountered in designing a disk cartridge of new standard as greatly altered from the conventional standard not only because there arises a need to re-design the die and production equipment necessary for the fabrication of the new disk cartridge and also because the cartridge of new design makes the disk player complex in construction.
An object of the present invention is to provide disk cartridge of two standards, i.e., a cartridge of conventional standard which is not modified in any way, and a disk cartridge of new standard which is available by making a minimized modification in the design of the disk cartridge of conventional standard.
Another object of the present invention is to provide disk players for exclusive use with the respective disk cartridges of two standards, and a disk player which is usable for the disk cartridges of two standards in common for recording or playback.
While a first disk cartridge 2 has a conventional standard, the present invention provides a second disk cartridge 7 having a new standard and different from the cartridge 2 in signal recording system.
The second disk cartridge 7 comprises a cartridge body 70 which is identical with the body 20 of the first disk cartridge 2 in external dimensions. The body 20 of the first disk cartridge 2 has an erroneous insertion preventing groove 25 formed in a front end face 2a thereof orthogonal to the direction A of insertion into a disk player and having a predetermined depth along the insertion direction, while the cartridge body 70 of the second disk cartridge 7 has an erroneous insertion preventing groove 71 opened at the same position as the preventing groove 25 of the first disk cartridge 2 and smaller than the preventing groove 25 in depth along the cartridge insertion direction A. The cartridge body 70 further has a cartridge identification groove 72 of predetermined depth not existing in the cartridge body 20 of the first disk cartridge 2.
While a conventional disk player (first disk player) is used exclusively for recording on or playing back of the first disk cartridge 2, the invention provides a new disk player (second disk player) for exclusive use with the second disk cartridge 7 for recording or playback.
While a cartridge holder 4 of the first disk player is formed with a lug 46 projecting from a side wall 48 thereof toward a cartridge accommodating chamber, a cartridge holder 8 of the second disk player is formed with a lug 81 projecting from a side wall 48 thereof toward a cartridge accommodating chamber and positioned at the same level as the lug 46 of the first disk player and rearwardly of the lug 46 along the direction A of insertion of the cartridge. The cartridge holder 8 of the second disk player is formed on a bottom wall 40 thereof with a protrusion 82 not existing in the cartridge holder 4 of the first disk player.
The present invention further provides a new disk player (common disk player) for use with both the first disk cartridge 2 and the second disk cartridge 7 different from the disk cartridge 2 in signal recording system for signal recording and/or reproduction.
The disk player comprises a cartridge holder 85 for the disk cartridge to be inserted in, the cartridge holder 85 having a lug 81 projecting from a side wall 48 thereof and positioned in corresponding relation with the depth of the preventing groove 71 of the second disk cartridge 7 to advance into the groove 71, the cartridge holder 85 having a bottom wall 40 free from any obstacle against the insertion of both the disk cartridges 2, 7.
When the first disk cartridge 2 as postured properly is inserted into the cartridge holder 4 of the first disk player, the lug 46 of the holder 4 advances into the erroneous insertion preventing groove 25 of the cartridge 2, permitting the insertion of the cartridge 2. If the disk cartridge 2 as postured erroneously is to be inserted, the lug 46 of the holder 4 comes into contact with an end face of the cartridge 2, preventing the insertion of the cartridge 2.
Further when the second disk cartridge 7 is to be inserted into the cartridge holder 4 of the first disk player, the cartridge 7 is blocked in the course of insertion since the erroneous insertion preventing groove 71 of the cartridge 7 has a smaller depth than the preventing groove 25 of the first disk cartridge 7.
When the second disk cartridge 7 as postured properly is inserted into the cartridge holder 8 of the second disk player, the lug 81 of the holder 8 advances into the erroneous insertion preventing groove 71 of the cartridge 7, with the protrusion 82 of the holder 8 entering the cartridge identification groove 72 of the cartridge 7, permitting the insertion of the cartridge 7. If the disk cartridge 7 as postured erroneously is to be inserted, the lug 81 of the holder 8 comes into contact with an end face of the cartridge 7, preventing the insertion of the cartridge 7.
Further if the first disk cartridge 2 is to be inserted into the cartridge holder 8 of the second disk player, the protrusion 82 on the holder 8 comes into contact with the end face of the cartridge 2, preventing insertion of the cartridge 2 since the identification groove 72 is not formed in the cartridge 2.
On the other hand, when the first disk cartridge 2 as postured properly is inserted into the common disk player, the lug 81 of the cartridge holder 85 advances into the erroneous insertion preventing groove 25 of the cartridge 2. The cartridge 2 is inserted to the innermost portion of the holder 85 since the bottom wall 40 of the holder 85 is free from any obstacle against the insertion of the first disk cartridge 2.
When the second disk cartridge 7 as postured properly is inserted into the common disk player, the lug 81 of the holder 85 advances into the erroneous insertion preventing groove 71 of the cartridge 7, permitting the insertion of the cartridge 7.
The cartridge holder 85 of the common disk player has an on-off switch 86 provided on the bottom wall 40 and positionable in the cartridge identification groove 72 formed in the body 70 of the second disk cartridge 7, whereby the disk cartridge accommodated in the cartridge holder 85 can be identified.
When the first disk cartridge 2 is inserted into the common disk player, the bottom wall of the cartridge 2 presses the on-off switch 86 of the holder 85 to turn on the switch, while when the second disk cartridge 7 is inserted, the switch 86 is positioned in the cartridge identification groove 72 of the cartridge 7, holding the switch on. Accordingly, the disk cartridge inserted can be identified from the on or off state of the switch 86.
The present invention makes it possible to provide two disk cartridges of different standards, i.e., the first disk cartridge 2 according to a conventional standard and having no modification made therein, and the second disk cartridge 7 of a new standard which is made available by slightly modifying the conventional cartridge in design, i.e., merely by forming an erroneous insertion preventing groove of smaller depth than conventionally and additionally forming a cartridge identification groove 72.
The invention further provides two disk players of different standards, i.e., the first disk player according to a conventional standard and having no modification made therein, and the second disk player of a new standard which is made available by slightly modifying the conventional player in design, i.e., merely by slightly shifting the lug to be advanced into the erroneous insertion preventing groove of the disk cartridge and additionally forming a protrusion positionable in the cartridge identification groove.
Furthermore, the invention provides a common disk player for use with both the disk cartridges of different standards by modifying the second disk player in design, i.e., merely by eliminating the additional protrusion.